Need camera suggestions asap

[Breezy]

I bought an underwater housing but York won't cover it so now I have to send the stupid thing back after they said I had to PURCHASE it before they could approve or deny
Any way I need a really nice camera that will work great while snorkeling. Willing to spend up to $400 or so but not 1000.
So tell me what is the best for that price range. On the phone with B&H right now these are their suggestions:
canon
power shot 990
with housing
apx $500.

Canon D10 $300

Pentax W60 or W80 $269.95/299.95

Olympus Stylus 8000 $330

[Torrey]

If you're just going to use it for snorkeling and possibly above-water, I would go with the Canon D10 from that list. I hadn't heard of it previously, but it's gotten some favorable reviews over on Scubaboard, and also on Photography Blog. If you're plan to use it deeper underwater or just want a better topside camera, I would go with the 990.

[Breezy]

Thanks Torrey, I think I am just being too picky lol. I looked at all of them and I don't "love" any of them but the D10 is the one I keep coming back to.
Thanks again for the suggestions I will look at the links and narrow it down between the 2 tomorrow.
I don't really need one to be great out of water but it would be nice if I wanted to take it to a few events around here with kids and such and not have to drag the slrs out.

[Imagebuffet]

I recently went hunting for underwater P&S cameras. I looked at the specs and evaluations on a half-dozen models, before deciding on a Pentax W60. A few sites said that the Pentax is the first underwater camera that had image quality worth testing; most underwater cameras produce only mediocre above-water images. Also, the Pentax can shoot HD video, in 720p format at 15 fps. Actually the VGA movie mode at 30 fps looks better to me. Another factor in its favor is that the Pentax has a wide angle lens, and a good, 5x zoom (the equivalent of 28 mm to 140 mm). I bought mine for $240 from Adorama, and bought a camera float and spare battery to go with it. I have shot photos and video down to 25 feet with it.

A comment commonly made against the Canon D10 is that its bulbous shape makes it too large to fit into pants pockets.

It is nice having a small, spare camera, but not having a viewfinder is a pain. I don't like using the LCD screen, and it is difficult to aim precisely. I'm not impressed with the image quality, as the images are only JPEG (I'm used to Canon 20D RAW files). Images above ISO 400 have an abundance of noise, but the Pentax goes to ISO 6400. Shadows tend to be noisy.

I also bought a waterproof bag, so I could go diving with my Canon 20D. I bought a DicaPAC WP-S10 from Amazon for $105. I haven't been able to use the viewfinder while wearing a mask and snorkel, but I think the images come out well (for whatever the camera is pointed at).

Pentax recently released a new model, the W80. I don't know anything about it.

[Breezy]

Thanks Richard
do you have any images you can share?
I am so torn. I want something that is going to look nice when all is said and done. Unfortunately the W80 won't be out before I need it :(.

[Torrey]

I looked at some other reviews for these, and found that the Olympus 8000 is hit-or-miss. It didn't seem to do so well in dimly lit situations, and you don't typically use flash when snorkeling unless you're diving down right up to your subject. The only thing that bothers me about the Pentax is the 12ft depth limit. Most snorkeling I've done has been in 20-30ft, and if you accidentally drop it, you might be screwed. If you're not planning on doing any actual diving, then I would stay away from cameras that require a separate enclosure. You have to be very meticulous about keeping the o-rings clean and greased, as well as humidity concerns inside the case that could cause fogging. After everything I've seen, I'm still leaning toward the D10.

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by Breezy

Thanks Richard
do you have any images you can share?
I am so torn. I want something that is going to look nice when all is said and done. Unfortunately the W80 won't be out before I need it :(.

Sure, I have some full-sized test shots on my Flickr account:


Full-size: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/...032d45db_o.jpg


Full-size: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/...ac3780f2_o.jpg
The cloudiness on this image is a film on the lens from the water.


Full-size: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/...8803570e_o.jpg

I don't have any significant underwater still images from the W60; I used it for underwater video when I went to Balmorhea last month and used my Canon 20D for underwater still images. I don't have any video from the W60 online, yet.

Imagebuffet added 2 Minutes and 27 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by Torrey

I looked at some other reviews for these, and found that the Olympus 8000 is hit-or-miss. It didn't seem to do so well in dimly lit situations, and you don't typically use flash when snorkeling unless you're diving down right up to your subject. The only thing that bothers me about the Pentax is the 12ft depth limit. Most snorkeling I've done has been in 20-30ft, and if you accidentally drop it, you might be screwed. If you're not planning on doing any actual diving, then I would stay away from cameras that require a separate enclosure. You have to be very meticulous about keeping the o-rings clean and greased, as well as humidity concerns inside the case that could cause fogging. After everything I've seen, I'm still leaning toward the D10.

The Pentax W60 is rated for 13 feet for 2 hours. I've used it at 25 feet for a minute several times without a problem. I also have a float strap that I can easily attach and detach that will keep it from sinking to the bottom.

[Torrey]

Sounds like it might not be a bad choice then. The top-side pictures look pretty good...too bad you don't have any underwater photos. The float strap is a good idea, or at least get a good wrist strap.

By the way, what river is that?

[Breezy]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
I have contacted Pentax as to when the W80 will be available. BH says Aug. Adorama is saying July 27th (the day we fly out go figure lol)

As for scuba diving no I won't be doing that I have a fobia of a tank on my back underwater lol.
And there are no stores that have either in stock around here so that I can physically see them :(

[Imagebuffet]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Sounds like it might not be a bad choice then. The top-side pictures look pretty good...too bad you don't have any underwater photos.

Yeah, and the funny thing is, there is a way to shoot still images while shooting video. I just didn't experiment very much while at Balmorhea.

Oh, but I do have some edited, reduced size, underwater still photos from the W60. I shot this soon after I originally got my W60:

Originally Posted by Torrey

The float strap is a good idea, or at least get a good wrist strap.

The W60 has a standard wrist strap that comes with it. I ordered the floating strap to go with it. The floating strap has a detachable break-away, so I don't always have to have it on the camera.

Originally Posted by Torrey

By the way, what river is that?

That is Spring Creek, in Garland. I shot those while swimming in the creek in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve.

[Breezy]

thanks for sharing the images

[preames]

I just order the Lumix DMC-TS1 yesterday - looked at the Canon D10, but ended up ordering the Lumix based on its ability to take 720p video and ability to zoom while taking th video. I think, from what I've read the Canon may have slightly truer colors, but the form factor on the Panasonic is a little better - less bulky. However, the Canon can go deeper - 10 meters vs. 3 for the Lumix.

[Breezy]

Thanks for the suggestion Patrick, I haven't decided yet, waiting to hear back from Pentax.

[Breezy]

I guess I have got to go ahead and order the Cannon cause Pentax claims they don't know when it will be available. Once said between now and the end of the month. The other said we don't know sometime soon.
How the heck can you not have a release date this close to the projected date is beyond me.

[Torrey]

They probably have some minor tweaks to work out and don't want to make any hard promises. Why not just go with the W60 if you like the Pentax? Is the upgrade that important to you?